Missing
Shawndell Emett McLeod
McLeod, approximately 2011; Ricky Nobles
Date and time person was reported missing : 09/24/2011
Missing location (approx) :
Lithonia, Georgia
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
Black
Age at the time of disappearance: 35 years old
Height / Weight : 5'7, 160 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. McLeod's ears are pierced.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : McLeod was last seen leaving her home in the 4700 block of Golod Way in Lithonia, Georgia in the early morning hours of September 24, 2011. She was en route to start her 5:00 a.m. shift at the Life Care Center of Gwinnett, a nursing home in Lawrenceville, Georgia, where she was a cook.
She never arrived there and has never been heard from again. There hasn't been any activity on her cellular phone or bank accounts since her disappearance. Before she vanished, McLeod had been in the process of ending an abusive relationship. She said she was afraid something would happened to her, and borrowed a gun from a friend for self-protection.
Police stopped McLeod's 2011 Nissan Versa behind an abandoned house near Cleveland Avenue several days after her disappearance; it was being driven by a man named Ricky Nobles, who fled the scene. A photo of Nobles is posted with this case summary.
Foul play is suspected in McLeod's disappearance. Her loved ones stated she was happy with her life, did not use drugs or drink alcohol, and had no reason to leave of her own accord.
In 2017, police announced they believed she'd been abducted and murdered after she left the house that morning. They stated they don't think Nobles was the killer; they have identified another suspect, a person who knew McLeod's family and was familiar with the area where she lived.
McLeod was born in Guyana, a country in South America, and moved to the U.S. at the Age at the time of disappearance: of thirteen. Her case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Dekalb County Police Department
770-724-7866
September 2021 updates and sources
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The Grio
WSB-TV 2
CBS Atlanta
11 Alive
The Champion Free Press
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
